Why I’m still proud of #Girlboss
and a few criminals who hit the Forbes 30 under 30
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In today’s issue:
Pantone’s murky color of the year
Forbes 30 under 30 folks who went to prison
Brain Rot with a capital R
And more…
Shop my actual closet, online and IRL
That’s right, I’m unloading most of my closet full of vintage and designer goodies to make room for a new life on the other side of the world with less storage space and more to discover.
Tonight in Los Angeles I’ll be live, in the flesh, hosting the opening preview of my closet sale in Los Angeles at Arcade in ROW DTLA 6 PM to 9 PM. The exact address is 777 S Alameda St Suite 174, Los Angeles, CA. You can RSVP here.
If you want to shop the goods online, a curated edit of pieces are available now on the Arcade Shops website!
Notes from a messy desk
I don’t do a ton of interviews, but when podcasts I admire like Masters of Scale come to me, it makes me feel kind of relevant again. So, sometimes I say yes. I recently sat down with Samhita Mukhopadhyay, former Teen Vogue executive editor and author of The Myth of Making It, on The Cut's "In Her Shoes" podcast to talk about #Girlboss - both the term I coined and the cultural phenomenon it became.
During our conversation, I opened up about recently revisiting my 2014 book and had to laugh at some of what I found. While I stand behind most of the content, I admitted to Samhita that reading it now, there's definitely a cult leader-ish quality to how I addressed readers: “You, dear Girlboss, won’t be doing that. You, dear Girlboss, you’re gonna work hard. You’re not gonna spend all your money.”
We dove into an important discussion about the double standards women founders face. As I previously said in my post on Founder Mode, male leaders are expected to be tough and lead from the front, while women are supposed to subtly lead from behind – and not only that, but also be perfect, inspiring, shining models of female achievement. The moment we have to make unpopular decisions or hold people accountable, we're labeled difficult or #toxic. Somehow, female leaders are expected to create a company culture that’s entirely insulated from the systemic issues of misogyny and racism that permeate our society. Some founders try harder, and some do better than others – but ultimately no internal culture is immune to the external culture that surrounds it, even if it’s led by a woman, no matter how much effort she makes.
When Samhita and I discussed the legacy of #Girlboss (which is, by the way, now immortalized in Merriam-Webster dictionary), I shared my perspective on creating works of art that permeate the zeitgeist. Once you put a creative work into the world, it’s no longer your own. Regardless of your intention, people will do with it what they wish, project their own hopes and dreams, insecurities and biases, and turn it into whatever they want. Despite the ever-evolving sentiment around the title of that pink book, it’s served a purpose for over a decade. It’s a gift I gave away that keeps mutating, and it’s one I’m proud of. And while there are plenty of overeducated critics analyzing the term to death, what really matters to me are the women who approach me in London coffee shops daily to tell me the book inspired them to start their businesses. That's the real impact I was hoping the book would have, and in the end it did.
- Sophia
Shopping roundup, accessories edition
Collabs on my radar
I love everything designer Nicole McLaughlin does – upcycling genius – and her suede sneakers for PUMA using factory scraps are no exception. Becky Malinsky – the stylist who writes 5 Things You Should Buy – created a holiday capsule with Alex Mill. Makeup brand Merit collaborated with jewelry brand Completedworks on two earrings – silver pearl drops and gold studs. The North Face x SKIMS collection is very good. It’s already sold out online. You might soon be able to get Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding on a United flight. Not as exciting as Shake Shack on Delta. Hailey Bieber and Matilda Djerf partnered on a limited edition peptide lip treatment in Peppermint Glaze for rhode. It brand Chillhouse just launched press-on nails with Cash App that you can tap to pay. Fun. This Métier x Gohar World collection inspired by farmers’ produce and heirloom beans is a dream. D.S & DURGA’s set with Cotton Incorporated – a Wild Brooklyn Lavender auto fragrance and a blanket – is a good gift.
Links to make you smarter and more interesting
Pantone’s Color of the Year is Mocha Mousse. Whether you like the warm brown or not, you’ll probably see a lot more of it this year. The cerulean blue chosen in 1999 was featured in runway collections for Oscar de la Renta and Yves Saint Laurent. The 2022 color Very Peri was used in Microsoft’s digital tools. So expect to see more of this milk chocolatey hue in art direction for fashion, design, tech, brands, and marketing.
Glossier’s sales have increased by 80% over the last three years. Kyle Leahy, the new CEO who took over in 2022, credits listening to customers on three issues to the boost in profits. Specifically, more new products, access to shop at more big beauty retailers, and access to shop overseas.
Finance bros are secretly getting botox. Men in their mid-40s in corporate America – specifically finance, business and law – are investing in cosmetic procedures to look fresher at work.
There’s a Netflix doc on the psychologically manipulative tactics online shops like Shein and Temu use to get you to make impulse purchases. The documentary, Buy Now, dropped last month. “The problem with dark patterns is that they play on people’s emotions, creating a sense of urgency or a fear of missing out,” Neil Saunders, managing director of data analysis company GlobalData, told Glossy. “It’s a very powerful tool, and it’s no surprise that Shein and Temu are using them to their advantage during high-stakes periods like Black Friday. The way these sites gamify the experience, whether through instant ‘prizes’ or countdowns to deals, makes it hard for consumers to think logically about whether they really need the item or if they’re simply being pushed into a purchase.”
All of the Forbes 30 Under 30s who got in trouble with the law. An illuminating slideshow – some are even in prison. Glad I’m not one of them!
Building an AI product means predicting the future. This is a great new guide on how to build a useful (aka successful) AI product, and one piece of advice is to not waste your time on solving a problem that will be obsolete in a few years.
Brain rot content blew up in 2024, but it isn’t always great for brand recognition. It’s like a flash in the pan – hot and fun but short-lived. Creating a memorable brand means finding your own niche and setting your own trends, ones that won’t blend in with all of the other UGC content people are consuming online.
An influencer who just graduated first grade has already worked with brands like Cult Gaia and Claire’s. The tweens are on their phones and their parents’ credit cards, so it makes sense brands want to reach Gen Alpha. Skincare brand Evereden started targeting Gen Alpha this year through organic TikTok content and gained 100,000 followers, a 950% YoY increase.
What’s an area of growth I’ve avoided because it feels uncomfortable? That’s one of the questions in this list of 25 difficult questions every founder should ask themselves. They’re good.
What your brand should be doing like, yesterday, to prepare for a possible TikTok ban. You should be building audiences and communities across multiple platforms. This is a smart strategy regardless of an impending ban, but is especially important to implement ASAP. You don’t even have to reinvent the wheel – repurpose and repost the content you’re already making for TikTok on other social networks your potential customers are hanging out.
What’s new in Business Class
This week, AdWeek's PR 30 Under 30 pro Danika Daly taught members how to kickstart their 2025 PR and influencer marketing strategies. It was awesome. Two members even met and linked up in the Zoom chat to collab on content that aligned with both of their brands. That’s the kind of magic that happens inside this community.
Next week, Director of Content and Community Melanie Ehrenkranz is hosting the weekly Business Class coworking club. Members will have a dedicated hour to work on their brand origin story, one that can be used for: their website, pitch deck, social media, LinkedIn bio, and so much more.
If you’re a founder starting or building something, you can learn more and join the waitlist for Spring’s Business Class launch here.
More from my universe
On Thursday, December 12th, I’ll be live, in the flesh, hosting the opening preview of my closet sale in Los Angeles at Arcade in ROW DTLA. Wrote about it in more detail here:
Carry has a free end of year tax planning checklist that’s been super popular.
And GiftShop was featured in The New York Times last week.
Have a B2B startup idea? Pitch Trust Fund here.
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I love you and all the magic you have sparked in this world…I can’t wait to listen to the podcast✨✨✨
Sophia! I vividly remember reading GirlBoss during the down time on my college internship. It radicalized me inspired me so much to keep going. I wanted nothing more to be a #girlboss and believe this was the start of helping me focus on achieving the amazing career I have today. You have so much to be proud of! We appreciate you. I’m excited to hear anything you have to say!